Expansion of assisted dying delay (live, professionals, law)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Health Minister Mark Holland said the decision to delay the expansion of assisted dying until after the next federal election has nothing to do with electoral politics.
Health Minister Mark Holland said the decision to delay the expansion of assisted dying until after the next federal election has nothing to do with electoral politics.
Of course. It makes sense. An election really is not relevant to the matter at hand.
From that same article, Holland also said:
"Every single province, every territory, said they're not ready. CAMH [The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health] said they're not ready. The Canadian Mental Health Association said they're not ready," Holland said.
"So I appreciate that there are some people that feel that we're ready but when those that are going to be delivering the services … all are universally saying that they're not ready … we have to listen to that."
They'll be ready when they're ready. That's all there is to it.
Of course. It makes sense. An election really is not relevant to the matter at hand.
Still a setback: wouldn't be nice to assist all those backward bigots exit stage left, for the reminder to finally vote correctly while wearing big melon smiles?
Of course. It makes sense. An election really is not relevant to the matter at hand.
From that same article, Holland also said:
"Every single province, every territory, said they're not ready. CAMH [The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health] said they're not ready. The Canadian Mental Health Association said they're not ready," Holland said.
"So I appreciate that there are some people that feel that we're ready but when those that are going to be delivering the services … all are universally saying that they're not ready … we have to listen to that."
They'll be ready when they're ready. That's all there is to it.
That's pretty much it. If the mental health professionals are not ready to deal with it--and CAMH and CMHA are extremely reputable (hell, I long-ago knew a psychiatrist at CAMH, then known as the Clarke Institute, and he put his patients' interests first)--then let's put it off until they are. And if they never are, then it doesn't or shouldn't come to pass.
There is nothing political about this, no matter how many would like it to be. Elections have nothing to do with this, whenever they are called. What matters is the mental health of certain Canadians, which is never political. Elections? Pfft!
Has MAID become common enough that everyone knows someone who used it?
No, certainly not, and for a few reasons. First, there simply are not so many dying people in Canada that are in so much prolonged and desperate distress and unbearable pain to need MAiD as a last resort to end it all quickly.
Also, and this is really important - death is a very, very private thing to the dying person under most circumstances. So even though some people may use MAiD as their option they generally want to keep it private and dignified, it's not a side show and they're not all having a party or advertising and announcing it to all and sundry in the world on a loud hailer or having it in the news obituaries. The only other people who may be aware of the dying person's private wishes to use MAiD will be their very closest loved ones and the attending medical personnel who will all keep it private. Only the people that the dying person wants to know will know about it. Otherwise, it's nobody else's business.
The majority of people in the world are fearful or reluctant of dying anyway, some are utterly terrified, and will fight it tooth and claw all the way to their last breath. Canadians are no different from anyone else so most people that are dying still prefer to pass along in the usual old fashioned ways and let nature take them out naturally, albeit perhaps needing assistance from pain killers as necessary to dull pain and make them more comfortable as they die unassisted in their own good time.
"4.1% of all deaths in Canada were due to MAiD (medical assistance in dying), according to the country’s health ministry. This amounts to a total of 13,241 people who died under Canada’s MAiD programme in 2022, marking a 31% rise on the previous year."
Here is an ad produced by a Canadian department store (for some reason) celebrating the brave and stunning practice of MAID, titled “All Is Beauty” – the only major ad in recent memory, curiously, but not coincidentally, featuring predominately white people: https://youtu.be/bssvubnVvgg
Has MAID become common enough that everyone knows someone who used it?
No, but I met someone (late bf's cousin) whose mother (late bf's aunt) chose to die via MAiD rather than drag out treatment and pain of terminal cancer. She took me through how the whole process went for them.
Her mother had previously had cancer, which was treated, and when MAiD became law in 2016, she said, "This is a good thing. If my cancer returns, I will not have further treatment, and when the pain gets to be too much, I will die that way."
A few years later, that is what happened. I think she died in 2020 or '21. I know they had a memorial a year later because of COVID.
My husband's ex-wife used MAID. The kids are really messed up over it.
Messed up kids, eh? That's too bad. I won't ask how old they are or if they were messed up because of engrained personal beliefs but I can understand how some people just absolutely cannot accept that a dying loved one has elected to take advantage of MAiD.
I think that messed up family members and friends who can't handle it emotionally is another reason why most people who choose the MAiD option would prefer to keep the decision private and not tell many (if any) people about what they're planning to do. I can't imagine that any dying person could cope well with the added stress of dealing with loved ones getting angry or messed up or freaking out all over the poor sick person because of their decision about the way they want to die.
.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I won't ask how old they are or if they were messed up because of engrained personal beliefs but I can understand how some people just absolutely cannot accept that a dying loved one has elected to take advantage of MAiD. 
